E. Hultén’s (1968) key distinctions between subsp. monocephala and subsp. philonipha are obscure and seemingly arbitrary (R. J. Bayer 1991). Antennaria exilis is a pubescent form of A. monocephala; complete intergradation occurs between the forms. Taxonomic recognition for the two forms does not seem warranted. Antennaria monocephala subsp. monocephala is the diploid progenitor of the apomictic clones that make up subsp. angustata, and a progenitor of the A. alpina agamic complex.